Washing machine provided with thermal insulation mechanism

ABSTRACT

A washing machine including a thermal insulation mechanism for protecting an additive tray from being damaged by heat radiated from a drying duct assembly. The additive tray may be sized to contain sufficient additive for multiple laundry loads. The additive tray may be installed on the top of the washing machine. The drying duct assembly is disposed above the tub and can heat air for supplying to the tub and drying laundry. A heatproof plate is disposed between the additive tray and the drying duct assembly to inhibit heat transfer from the drying duct assembly to the additive tray. A gap is formed between the heatproof plate and the drying duct assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0017398, filed on Feb. 15, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to washing machines, and, more specifically, to thermal insulation mechanisms in washing machines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, a drum type washing machine washes laundry by rotating a drum using washing water mixed with detergent and/or other additives. It offers the advantages of high efficiency regarding water and detergent usage, reduced laundry entanglement and reduced laundry damage.

A drum type washing machine may include a cabinet serving as an exterior housing, a tub disposed inside the cabinet and configured to contain washing water, a drum disposed inside the tub and configured to accommodate washing objects (e.g., laundry), a motor configured to drive rotation of the drum, a water supply device configured to supply washing water to the tub, a detergent tray configured to store one or more additives (including liquid or powder detergent, fabric softener, etc.), a detergent supply pipe configured to supply the additives into the tub, a drying system configured to supply hot air flow to dry the washing objects, and a water drain device configured to drain the washing water outside of the cabinet.

In a conventional washing machine, a detergent tray can be pulled out of the front side of the cabinet for a user to load detergent or other additives. A detergent tray of this drawer-like configuration usually is designed with very limited capacity. Accordingly, a user has to load detergent each time before doing laundry, which can be cumbersome.

Thus, a large-capacity detergent tray that contains enough detergent for multiple uses is desirable. However, if a large-capacity detergent tray is positioned close to heater, e.g., included in a drying duct assembly, radiant heat emitted from the heater may overheat and deform the large-capacity detergent tray, or even worse, cause a fire accident.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Patent Documents

Patent Document 1: Korean Patent Application Publication. No. 10-2006-0031164 (published on Apr. 12, 2006)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a washing machine using a thermal insulation mechanism to protect an additive tray from being overheated, e.g., by a heater in a drying duct assembly.

An exemplary washing machine includes: a cabinet serving as an outer shell of the washing machine; a tub installed within the cabinet; a drum rotatably installed inside the tub and configured to contain washing objects; a detergent tray installed in an upper portion of the cabinet for containing detergent or any other suitable additive; a drying duct assembly disposed above the tub and configured to provide hot air into the drum and tub; and a heatproof plate disposed between the detergent tray and the drying duct assembly.

The heatproof plate may include a flat plate portion configured to cover or surround an upper portion of the drying duct assembly and a slant portion obliquely extending from one end portion of the flat plate portion and configured to cover or surround a side portion of the drying duct assembly.

The heatproof plate may further include a curved portion formed by bending edges of the flat plate portion and the slant portion.

A distance between the heatproof plate and the drying duct assembly is larger than a distance between the heatproof plate and the detergent tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary washing machine having a thermal insulation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side sectional view of the exemplary washing machine having the thermal insulation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary detergent tray coupled to an exemplary thermal insulation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of the exemplary detergent tray and the exemplary thermal insulation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary heatproof plate of an exemplary washing machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of the exemplary heatproof plate according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here.

One or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which one or more exemplary embodiments of the disclosure can be readily determined by those skilled in the art. As those skilled in the art will realize, the described exemplary embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure, which is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

It is noted that the drawings are schematic and are not necessarily dimensionally illustrated. Relative sizes and proportions of parts in the drawings may be exaggerated or reduced in size, and a predetermined size is just exemplary and not limiting. The same reference numerals designate the same structures, elements, or parts illustrated in two or more drawings in order to exhibit similar characteristics.

The exemplary drawings of the present disclosure illustrate ideal exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail. As a result, various modifications of the drawings are expected. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to a specific form of the illustrated region, and for example, include modifications of form due to manufacturing.

The configuration and operation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary washing machine having a thermal insulation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a side sectional view of the exemplary washing machine having the thermal insulation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 illustrates the configuration of an exemplary detergent tray and an exemplary thermal insulation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is front view illustrating the configuration of the exemplary detergent tray and the exemplary thermal insulation mechanism according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of an exemplary heatproof plate according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating the configuration of the exemplary heatproof plate according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, the washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a cabinet 10, a tub 20, a drum 30, a detergent tray (additive container) 100, a drying duct assembly 50 and a thermal insulator, e.g., a heatproof plate 170. The washing machine may be a drum type washing machine operable to wash laundry or other washing objects by rotating the drum 30. However, the present disclosure is not limited to any specific type of washing machine.

More specifically, the cabinet 10 serves as an exterior housing and encloses various functional components of the washing machine, including the tub 20, the drum 30, and the drying duct assembly 50. The detergent tray 100 may be installed on the top of the cabinet 10 as shown.

It will be appreciated that the washing machine 10 may include a wide range of other suitable components that are well known in the art. In the illustrated example, a detergent supply pipe 40 is configured to supply detergent or any other additive stored in the detergent tray 100 to the tub 20. A motor 90 is configured to drive rotation of the drum 30. A water supply device 70 is configured to supply washing water into the tub 20. A drain device 80 is configured to drain washing water out of the cabinet 10.

The tub 20 has an approximately cylindrical space configured to contain washing water. The tub may be horizontally disposed in the cabinet 10 when the washing machine is in the operational position. The tub 20 may receive detergent from the detergent tray 100, and receive washing water from the water supply device 70. Washing water can be drained out of the tub and the cabinet 10 through the drain device 80.

The drum 30 is coupled to a motor and rotatably installed inside the tub 20. The drum 30 is configured to contain washing objects. During operation, the washing objects in the drum 30 are stirred by rotation of the drum 30 and thereby cleaned by washing water mixed with detergent in the tub 20.

The detergent tray 100 may be a large-capacity detergent tray capable of storing a large amount of detergent, e.g., sufficient for multiple loads of laundry or multiple washing cycles. The detergent tray 100 installed in the upper portion of the cabinet 10 has its open end aligned with the top of the cabinet 10.

It will be appreciated that various kinds of laundry additives may be stored in the detergent tray 100. For example, the detergent tray 100 may have a first compartment (not shown) configured to store liquid additive (liquid detergent and/or fabric softener, etc.) and a second compartment (not shown) configured to store powder additive.

The drying duct assembly 50 is configured to supply heated air in the tub 20. More specifically, the drying duct assembly 50 may include a drying duct 52 configured to guide heated air toward the tub 20, a heater unit 53 configured to heat air in the drying duct 52, and a fan 51 configured to enhance circulation of the heated air through the tub 20.

The heatproof plate 170 may be disposed between the detergent tray 100 and the drying duct assembly 50. The heatproof plate 170 serves to inhibit radiant heat emitted from the drying duct assembly 50. For instance, the heatproof plate 170 may be coupled to the detergent tray 100 by fastener bolts through mounting holes 170 a. The heatproof plate 170 is disposed above to cover or surround the upper portion of the drying duct assembly 50.

The heatproof plate 170 may include a flat plate portion 171 configured to cover or surround the upper portion of the drying duct assembly 50, a slant portion 172 obliquely extending from one end portion of the flat plate portion 171 and configured to cover or surround the side portion of the drying duct assembly 50, and a curved portion 173 formed by bending the edges of the flat plate portion 171 and the slant portion 172.

The curved portion 173 can reinforce the mechanical strength of the heatproof plate 170 and thereby prevent thermal deformation of the heatproof plate 170 caused by radiant heat emitted from the drying duct assembly 50.

It will be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to any specific geometric configuration or material of a heatproof plate. The heatproof plate 170 may be configured to fully surround the drying duct 52 of the drying duct assembly 50.

The heatproof plate 170 and the drying duct 52 may be spaced apart from each other, such that air in between the two components may facilitate dissipation of heat radiated from the drying duct 52.

In addition, the distance (‘a’ shown in FIG. 6) between the heatproof plate 170 and the drying duct 52 may be larger than the distance (‘b’ shown in FIG. 6) between the heatproof plate 170 and the detergent tray 100. Thus, the heatproof plate 170 is disposed closer to the detergent tray 100 than the drying duct 52. In this way, the heatproof plate 170 can effectively prevent heat transfer from the drying duct 52 to the detergent tray 100.

As described above, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, a thermal insulation mechanism disposed adjacent to the drying duct assembly is used to inhibit radiant heat emitted from the drying duct assembly from. being transferred to a detergent tray. As a result, thermal deformation of the detergent tray or other type of damage caused by the radiant heat can be effectively and advantageously prevented.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure may be implemented in various ways without changing the necessary features or the spirit of the present disclosure.

Therefore, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described above are not limiting, but only an example in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is expressed by claims below, and it should be construed that all changes and modifications achieved from the meanings and scope of claims and equivalent concepts are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The exemplary embodiments disclosed in the specification of the present disclosure do not limit the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure will be interpreted by the claims below, and it will be construed that all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto belong to the scope of the present disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A washing machine comprising: a tub configured to contain washing water; an additive container configured to contain an additive to be supplied to the tub during an operation; a drying duct assembly configured to provide heated air into the tub; and a thermal insulator disposed between the additive container and the drying duct assembly.
 2. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the thermal insulator comprises a heatproof plate coupled to the additive container.
 3. The washing machine of claim 1 further comprising: an exterior housing; and a drum installed inside the tub and configured to contain washing objects.
 4. The washing machine of claim 3, wherein the additive container is disposed in an upper portion of the exterior housing.
 5. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the thermal insulator is configured to cover an upper portion of the drying duct assembly to prevent heat emitted from the drying duct assembly from being transferred to the additive container.
 6. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the thermal insulator comprises: a flat plate portion configured to cover an upper portion of the drying duct assembly; and a slant portion obliquely extending from one edge of the flat plate portion and configured to cover a side portion of the drying duct assembly.
 7. The washing machine of claim 6, wherein the flat plate portion and the slant portion each comprise a curved edge.
 8. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein a distance between the thermal insulator and the additive container is smaller than a distance between the thermal insulator and the drying duct assembly.
 9. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the drying duct assembly comprises a heater.
 10. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the drying duct assembly is disposed above the tub.
 11. The washing machine of claim 3, wherein the additive container comprises an open end that opens at a top surface of the exterior housing, and wherein the additive container is sized to contain sufficient additive to supply a plurality of washing operations with addtive.
 12. A washing machine comprising: an exterior housing; a tub configured to contain washing water; an additive tray configured to contain an additive to be supplied to the tub during an operation of the washing machine; a drying duct assembly comprising a heater and configured to heat air and supply heated air to the tub during an operation of the washing machine; and a heatproof plate disposed between the additive tray and the drying duct assembly, wherein the heatproof plate and the drying duct assembly are spaced apart by a predetermined distance.
 13. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the predetermine distance is greater than a distance between the additive tray and the heatproof plate.
 14. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the additive tray has a multiple-use capacity for additive.
 15. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the additive tray opens to a top surface of the exterior housing.
 16. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the drying duct assembly is disposed above the tub.
 17. The washing machine of claim 12, wherein the heatproof plate comprises: a first plate member configured to surround an upper portion of the drying duct assembly; and a second plate member configured to surround a side portion of the drying duct assembly.
 18. The washing machine of claim 17, wherein the first plate member and the second plate member are coupled together and each comprise a curved edge.
 19. The washing machine of claim 12 further comprising: a drum disposed inside the tub; and a motor coupled to the drum and configured to drive rotation of the drum.
 20. The washing machine of claim 12 further comprising: a water supply device configured to supply washing water into the tub; and a drain device configured to drain washing water out of the tub. 